Duztin Sorensen Excommunication

Sarah Wetzel Sorensen sharing the excommunication experience of her husband Duztin Sorensen.

10 February 2013 After almost two months of promptings we finally stopped sending our children to primary/sunday school/yw/ym.

Due to:

-The unkindness from teachers and other children.

-Discovering that our 6 year old had been entertained for several months by playing with his teachers iPhone for the 2 hours of primary because he asks too many questions.

-Accusations that we were teaching the temple ceremony at home because we hold our hands palm up in our laps for prayers rather than folding our arms. Our 8 year old daughters teacher encouraged the other children in class to make fun of her for this. Our 8 year old began vomiting every Sunday morning to avoid primary.

-Our 14 year old son finally told us of the many times he would be physically held down by the other boys trying to get him to use offensive language, in the presence of the teacher.

-Being told that our children were the only ones that caused disturbances in primary by a member of the primary presidency. (I know that my children aren't perfect and caused their share of disturbances)

-Personal strong feelings that we are the stewards God has placed over our children and that primary and youth programs weren't good for our family. Ages at the time: 16yog, 14yob, 12yog, 10yob, 8yog, 6yob, 4yob, 1yob.

From February 2013 until October 2014 we were never approached or asked by any member of our ward why our children weren't participating in any of the programs regularly. Duztin asked to be released as Scoutmaster as we no longer felt that program was appropriate for us- this after almost 18 years as Scoutmaster. I stayed and fulfilled my calling as YW secretary, my daughters participating as they felt inspired to. I was released in June 2014.

Our family has attended Sacrament Meeting every Sunday as well as Stake conferences and watched General conference until September 2014.

Our family had received a copy of the Second Comforter for Christmas 2012. We began reading it and recognizing its value in our lives. We continued reading Scriptures and other Denver Snuffer books and blog as well as other blogs we felt impressed to read. We could feel our connection to Heaven increasing and our faith growing.

In August of 2013 I (Sarah) was confronted by my father, also a member of our ward, for reading, accepting and teaching the concept of receiving the Second Comforter within our family. He was very angry and I asked him to please agree to disagree and I would prefer not to discuss religion with him anymore. My parents have not openly discussed our beliefs since then.

We live in a rural area of Southern Utah in the Escalante Stake. Our stake consists of 6 wards with a population of around 2,000 of which about 50% are active. Our communities are very close, we love this area and the people in it.

Other than the conversation with my (Sarah) father in August 2013 we have not discussed our beliefs with any other member of our ward. Outside of our ward, but in our stake, we have discussed these beliefs with my sister- the one that gave us our copy of the Second Comforter. The only other person we have discussed these beliefs with is Duztin's mother that lives 2 hours away.

We do not have a blog, we don't post our beliefs on facebook, we hadn’t discussed any of these beliefs with anyone in our ward until a member of the newly placed primary presidency asked to come visit with me in my home in 1 October 2014. Sister J came in and after general chit chat she asked if she could count on our children to attend primary and be put on the talk and prayer list. I told her no. She asked why so I explained that we felt that as parents our children are under our stewardship per D&C and that gospel instruction fell on our shoulders. I also explained that we felt that the teaching of “Follow the Prophet” was false doctrine as we can only follow Christ. She was very uncomfortable and repeatedly stated that the only way we can come to Christ is through a prophet. I thanked her for her concern and expressed that we love her and our ward/town members but at this time we would not be participating in standard church services.

About a week later Duztin and I were asked to meet with the bishop. We met in his office on Sunday after meetings were over. We had a pleasant conversation, he asked about our beliefs and I re-stated what I had told Sister J. Duztin also stated his beliefs as well. The bishop asked if we believed Thomas S. Monson was a prophet, seer and revelator. We both responded that we hadn't received that confirmation. He asked for our temple recommends and stated that he was fine with our answer but that he would have to report it to the proper person.

We received a call a week later that the stake president would like visit with us. This meeting was also on a Sunday afternoon after meetings. The stake president asked us if we believed that Thomas S. Monson was a prophet, seer and revelator. We both responded again that our answer was no, we haven't received that confirmation but that we keep him and all leaders of this church in our prayers and hope that they will seek for those things. The stake president became very agitated and asked if we had any other concerns about the church. We responded with questions we have about tithing, money spent on malls and condos, why do the leaders require blind obedience, etc. He responded that he didn't worry about those things and that we shouldn't either. He stated that for the sake of our children's sealing to us he would leave us alone for a time to change our direction.

We received a letter on 27 January 2015 inviting Duztin to a disciplinary hearing to be held on 8 February 2015.

We have not had the opportunity to be re-baptized yet. We partake of the Sacrament in our home but the leaders of the ward/stake do not know that we do.

Duztin was excommunicated for one reason: he doesn't blindly follow a man that is called a prophet.